Song Shi'an's ears grew a little hot at the praise. He lowered his head, unscrewed his bottle of mineral water, and took a gulp.
After wrapping up, he returned to the dressing room to remove his makeup. By the time he took off his three layers of robes, his back was soaked through.
The set was hot enough in summer, and with the lights baking him as well, after a full day of filming in that outfit, his white inner robe could have been wrung out.
As he sat before the makeup mirror removing his wig, his phone vibrated on the table.
It was a WeChat message from Liu Bin, with three voice messages popping up in a row. Song Shi'an tapped the first, and Liu Bin's booming voice blasted out: "Bro! How did filming go today? Was the director mean?"
"I'm telling you, today I played cannon fodder who got sent flying with one kick from the lead. That kick seriously hurt! The guy didn't control his strength, and I landed flat on my back!"
"But it's fine, your bro's got thick skin! If you've got any good roles over there that need filling, remember to call me! I'll even play a corpse!"
Song Shi'an smiled and sent him a reply: "Filming went smoothly today. The director didn't yell at anyone, and Teacher Zhou even praised me."
After replying, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and continued removing his wig.
By the time he finished getting everything sorted and walked out of the dressing room, it was completely dark.
The streetlights in the film studio complex were on. Several crews in the distance were still rushing to shoot night scenes, their lights making the upswept eaves of the replica period buildings flicker between light and shadow.
He stood by the roadside and rubbed his aching shoulders. The excitement of the day slowly ebbed, leaving him with a solid, full-body weariness.
He had given every take his all today. So what if he wasn't the lead? So what if he had few lines? As long as he'd enjoyed acting, that was enough.
On Song Shi'an's sixth day with the production, he received a WeChat message from Liu Bin.
The voice messages came one after another, each fifty or sixty seconds long. When he tapped the first, Liu Bin's booming voice blasted from the earpiece: "Bro! I landed a job on an S+ production! Guess which one! Yours! The Emperor's Ambition! I'm playing a eunuch! Two lines! The one who calls out, 'His Majesty arrives!'"
The second popped up right after it: "I'm telling you, this job wasn't easy to get. Several extras wanted it. The assistant director had each of us read the lines once, and he picked me! Said my voice was loud and strong! All these months your big bro spent practicing lines weren't for nothing!"
"We'll get to share the frame! Your bro might just be an extra, but I'll give this scene everything I've got. I definitely won't embarrass you."
Song Shi'an felt his eyes grow a little hot as he listened. He sent back a reply: "See you tomorrow, big bro."
The next morning, he had barely entered the dressing room before the makeup artist pressed him into a chair.
"We're filming the grand court assembly today. There are lots of extras, so we need to get your makeup done early." The makeup artist chattered while brushing on contour. "You've been looking even better these past few days than when you first joined the production. Your skin hasn't dulled at all. What skincare products do you use?"
"Plain water," Song Shi'an answered with his eyes closed.
The makeup artist's hand paused, then resumed brushing on powder with an expressionless face. "One of these days, I'm going to pry the name of a skincare brand out of you."
Once his makeup was done and he had changed into costume, Song Shi'an headed toward the set.
Before he reached the entrance to the great hall, a familiar booming voice came from behind him.
"Shi'an!"
Song Shi'an turned around. Liu Bin strode toward him in a gray-blue eunuch's robe, a dark blue cloth sash tied around his waist and a fly whisk clutched in his hand, looking as though he had won the lottery.
He stopped in front of Song Shi'an and spread his arms to show off his outfit.
"Well? Impressive, right? Even the extras' costumes on an S+ production are different! Look at this fabric. It's thicker than the official's robes I wore in that drama where I played a county magistrate! And look at this sash. It's even got a woven pattern!"
Several extras waiting nearby couldn't help glancing over, probably stunned by Liu Bin's volume.
Long since used to it, Song Shi'an looked him up and down and smiled. "Looking sharp. One glance, and you can tell you're a eunuch who gets to call out before the emperor."
"You bet!" Liu Bin puffed out his chest, then stepped closer and lowered his voice. "I just checked the call sheet. Your position is behind the dragon throne on the left. After I call out, 'His Majesty arrives,' the emperor comes in through the main entrance, and you follow behind him. You'll walk right past me, and we'll be in the same frame."
"Right, that scene."
"Don't worry." Liu Bin patted his shoulder with his usual heavy hand. "I'll hold steady for this scene. I practiced those four characters all night. Nothing's going to go wrong."
The grand court assembly scene went smoothly. Xu Yanzhi entered through the great hall's entrance in his dragon robe, his steps measured, his presence commanding.
Standing at the entrance, Liu Bin raised his voice and called, "His Majesty arrives!" His voice was loud and full-bodied, the four characters echoing through the great hall for several seconds.
The director gave a slight nod behind the monitor, clearly pleased with this extra's line delivery.
Song Shi'an followed two paces behind Xu Yanzhi, his gaze straight ahead, his fly whisk resting in the crook of his left arm, his steps steady.
As he passed Liu Bin, he caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye of Liu Bin giving him a quick wink before immediately returning to the respectful expression expected of an announcing eunuch.
The wink was as quick as lightning, too fast for even the monitor to catch.
The scene passed in two takes. Once the director called cut, Liu Bin jogged from the great hall's entrance to Song Shi'an, so excited that his hands were practically dancing.
"Did you see that? Two lines! Not a single word wrong! The director even looked at me!"
"I saw, I saw." Song Shi'an smiled and handed him a bottle of water. "That 'His Majesty arrives' of yours echoed all the way down the corridor. The assistant director really picked the right person."
"You bet! Think how many lines I've practiced!"
Liu Bin gulped down some water, caught his breath, and looked Song Shi'an up and down again. "But seriously, when you walked past me, your presence really was different. You just stand there without moving or saying a word, and people feel like you're not someone to mess with. I saw a few of the extras playing officials sneaking looks at you and whispering to each other, asking who you were."
Song Shi'an thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "It's probably the outfit's buff. Mine has three layers. It's heavier than yours."
Liu Bin burst out laughing and clapped him on the shoulder. "Clothes are clothes, and people are people. You were born to eat from this rice bowl, kid. I've spent so many years as a featured extra, I've seen more newcomers than I can count. The ones like you, who land a named role in an S+ production on their second drama, I can count on one hand."
A little embarrassed by the praise, Song Shi'an was about to say something when Liu Bin's phone rang.
He answered and exchanged a few words. After hanging up, he turned back and said, "The next production's chasing me to come for a makeup test. Tomorrow I'm playing a corrupt official being interrogated by the lead. I've got two pages of lines! Once you wrap, your bro's treating you to barbecue!"
With that, he hurried off in a whirlwind, still wearing his gray-blue costume. From behind, he had quite the air of a "corrupt official rushing to his next gig."